You're a manager who needs to resolve a conflict between two employees. What's the best way to proceed?

1 Assess the situation

Before you intervene in a conflict, you need to understand the nature and the severity of the issue. Is it a personal or a professional disagreement? Is it affecting the quality of work or the team dynamics? How long has it been going on and how escalated is it? You can gather this information by observing the employees' behavior, talking to them individually, or asking for feedback from other team members. This will help you decide whether you need to address the conflict immediately or give the employees some time to work it out themselves.

2 Choose a neutral setting

If you decide to intervene in a conflict, you need to choose a neutral and private setting where you can facilitate a constructive dialogue between the employees. Avoid places that might favor one party over the other, such as their desks, offices, or common areas. Instead, opt for a meeting room, a conference call, or a video chat where you can ensure confidentiality and minimize distractions. Make sure you schedule enough time for the conversation and inform the employees of the purpose and the agenda of the meeting.

3 Listen actively and empathetically

One of the most important skills for resolving a conflict is active listening. This means that you pay attention to what each employee is saying, without interrupting, judging, or taking sides. You also need to show empathy and acknowledge their feelings, perspectives, and needs. You can use techniques such as paraphrasing, summarizing, and asking open-ended questions to clarify and confirm your understanding of the situation. By listening actively and empathetically, you can help the employees feel heard and respected, and reduce their defensiveness and hostility.

4 Identify the root cause and the common ground

After listening to both sides of the story, you need to identify the root cause of the conflict and the common ground between the employees. The root cause is the underlying issue that triggered the disagreement, such as miscommunication, misunderstanding, different expectations, or conflicting goals. The common ground is the shared interest or value that both employees have, such as completing a project, satisfying a client, or improving their skills. By focusing on the root cause and the common ground, you can help the employees move from blaming each other to solving the problem together.

5 Generate and evaluate solutions

Once you have identified the root cause and the common ground, you can invite the employees to generate and evaluate possible solutions to the conflict. You can use brainstorming techniques to encourage creativity and collaboration, such as asking each employee to come up with at least three ideas, writing them down on a flip chart or a whiteboard, and avoiding criticism or evaluation until all ideas are generated. Then, you can help the employees evaluate the solutions based on criteria such as feasibility, effectiveness, and fairness. You can also ask them to rate each solution on a scale of 1 to 10, based on how satisfied they are with it.

6 Agree on an action plan and a follow-up

The final step in resolving a conflict is to agree on an action plan and a follow-up. The action plan should specify what each employee will do, how they will do it, and when they will do it to implement the chosen solution. It should also include how they will communicate and cooperate with each other, and what support or resources they need from you or others. The follow-up should define how you will monitor and evaluate the progress and the outcome of the action plan, and how you will provide feedback and recognition to the employees. You can document the action plan and the follow-up in writing and share it with the employees to ensure accountability and commitment.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?